October Update
29 days ago
– Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 03:46:23 PM
Hi guys! Thanks again for all the support regarding my last update. Stopping the marketing has been great for my mental health and I've finally been able to make progress on the game.
Backgrounds
All the backgrounds are... done 😰I feel like that can't be right. But, I've got them all, and barring any issues where I need to commission a couple more, we should be all set.
Programming
I have programmed 1750/7255 lines of Aalam's route so far (Scene 5 of 30)! This includes voice, music, animations, etc. Once I get through this round of programming, it'll be ready for testing. Last time I asked for volunteers for beta testers, but due to mixed results as far as people keeping deadlines, I don't think I'll be doing that again. I might ask a select group of people and see if there's anything left in the budget I can offer as payment.
Writing
Most of the new writing for Aalam's route is in later chapters, so I didn't do much this month aside from some editing of typos, etc., as I started from the beginning to program/polish all at once.
CGs
Good news and bad news on this front. The good news is that my CG artist is okay and isn't in any danger as far as we know. The bad news is that she has decided to leave the project. I am going to reach out to another artist once I finish taking in all the sketches/finished pieces she's done and seeing how much work is actually left.
Voice Acting
I hit a snag when someone asked me about the VA strike. I wasn't aware of it, as I haven't been keeping up with current events due to life stuff. But we came to an arrangement, and I'll be sending the VA scripts out soon, hopefully today. Essentially, I'm making a commitment not to use any of the voice lines received for AI training, now or in the future. Which I think is a very simple thing to promise and I can't believe people are having to strike for what seems like common sense. Anyway.
Conclusion and Timeline
That's it for me folks! Your support has been so uplifting, so thank you again.
I've been very busy with IRL work lately so I haven't had as much time to work on CC as I wanted, but I'm hoping to finish Aalam's route and send it to testing by the end of November. Slow and steady wins the race. 💪🏾
September Update
about 2 months ago
– Mon, Sep 23, 2024 at 05:15:58 PM
Hi guys! Sorry for the delay in this update. Some big life changes for me that I'll get into at the end of this if you're interested. This is a public update.
In the meantime, here's what's new.
Backgrounds
I only have 2 backgrounds to show this month because the rest would be spoilers!
CGs
My CG artist was the unfortunate victim of a cyberattack, and I have not heard from her in some time. I am hoping that she will return soon and let me know if she's okay, but in the meantime, I am just holding tight. The CGs are almost all done, so in the event that she is unable to return to finish them, there shouldn't be a holdup finding a replacement.
Conclusion
That's all I have for now!
Regarding the delay I mentioned earlier, I have really been struggling with my mental health recently, and I was diagnosed with depression earlier this month. I'm doing what I need to improve and I've been trying to power through and keep going on as I had been, but it's apparent to me now that I won't be able to. So I've decided that I am going to stop focusing on marketing for Celestial Crowns and instead direct my attention to just finishing the game. This means that I won't be updating the tumblr or twitter regularly any longer, nor will I be doing anymore drawing streams. The stress of it all was giving me a lot of anxiety and I don't want that to get in the way of delivering what I've promised you guys.
I will still be updating the Kickstarter page monthly to keep you guys in the loop, and still plan on delivering the game and all the rewards along the original timeline (Dec 2025 or earlier). Since I made everything I needed for the game and have already paid for pretty much everything but the last round of voice acting and the remaining backgrounds, the profit from the game is less important to me than my mental health. I had hoped to keep up the marketing efforts so I could make enough in the end to work on some extra routes for you guys, but unfortunately, I don't see that happening now.
You will still see me around on the Discord server, answering questions or fixing bugs. Or just feel free to say hi :)
August Update
3 months ago
– Sat, Aug 17, 2024 at 04:51:35 PM
Sorry this is a bit late, folks! I just had a busy week and haven't had time to write this up.
Writing
I'm about 1300 words into a new Aalam scene! Here's a peak. A lines are Aalam and T lines are Terra.
Backgrounds
We have a new background to show!
This is the Andromeda library, isn't it absolutely gorgeous? I thought the Laute library was going to be my favorite bg but this might surpass it...
Beauty Kills the Beast
Did you know that Celestial Crowns has a spinoff game? The app Dorian asked me to write a game for their platform, so Beauty Kills the Beast was born! It updates weekly and features a brand new story with three new love interests. You can play for free but there are premium choices if you'd like to offer additional support! Check it out by downloading the Dorian app on the apple or google play stores.
https://dorian.app.link/Kb2HMblctlb
Conclusion
That's all for this time folks! Next time I'm hoping I'll have started programming Aalam's final route so I might be able to dive a bit deeper and show some videos. Until then!
July Update
4 months ago
– Sat, Jul 13, 2024 at 09:55:32 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
June Update - New BGs
5 months ago
– Thu, Jun 13, 2024 at 06:47:53 AM
Hello all, a short update this month. Due to a family emergency, I haven't made as much progress as I'd like, but the team has still been killing it. Check out these beautiful backgrounds:
We finally see a street view of the town of Andromeda! I absolutely love how Mika rendered it. And a look into Aalam's bedroom ... ;)
The other two are Andromeda and Lauté versions of the infirmary.
With the backgrounds looking this gorgeous and in the previous style, the issue about consistency I worried about won't be an issue at all.
That's all for this month, I hope to get more progress done on the third draft in June. I did move into my new apartment finally, and so the rollercoaster of this move with a new state and a new job finally hit its peak and I'm now coasting to a stop.
Looking forward to showing you more soon!
